Fear God
1 Chronicles 16:25 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. (See also Psalm 96:4)
Proverbs 2:5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
Dozens of OT scriptures give us this message that we are to fear God. Is this somehow changed by what Jesus did on the cross? Many will tell you that, but I must disagree. I think there is and always will be an element of fear required to fully understand our relationship with God.
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
I was challenged to examine the above text. The assertion being that there must be something wrong with our understanding if we fear God, even if that fear is what brings us to love Him.
It took a while but then I remembered one basic rule when studying scripture. Always take note of “who is talking to whom”. In this chapter, we see John talking to his “Dear Friends”. He is talking about our relationship within the body of Christ, those who are growing in the knowledge of who God is. He is not saying that we should not fear God but that we should not fear each other. There should be no jealousy among us. We should let the spirit work in each other and not be afraid.
1 Peter 2:17
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Peter shows us here, as do other NT scriptures, that we are to still fear the Lord. But surely this is not a fear that overcomes us, it is a respectful fear. It is a fear that enhances our relationship because it keeps us on the straight and narrow. The more we can walk in the light the closer we come to knowing God. It is a good fear.
Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul
Luke 12:4,5 I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
There is much more to be said on this. It is a deep topic. But my suggestion is that it is wise to fear the Lord. True love conquers fear, but without a healthy fear of God you may never know true love.
Tags: Christianity, Church Criticism
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
October 28, 2007 at 9:32 pm
P.S. I would emphasize that love does conquer fear, love is the overwhelming aspect of our relationship with God, love is what we seek and hope to abide in. But does that mean we overlook and dismiss the fear of God?
October 29, 2007 at 4:47 am
Good thoughts.
Love conquers fear of people and Satan. Fear God only. This is also logical. When I realized the Lord was real – and He was in my bedroom – I was awash with joy for several minutes. But when my idiotic brain kicked in, I panicked. In the same way, when we become 100% convinced that God is real and omnipresent, we fear Him. What a blessing that is!
October 29, 2007 at 4:12 pm
To me it is how we define ‘fear’ and what that looks like. I have seen the use of fear in the church cause good people to do some dumb things – and was used as a way to control the people (which is keep them scared of God). Fear can be abused in the name of love – can love be abused when there is no fear?
I think fear is also healthy on some minor level – as long it leads to respect and not to being scared. That’s where I draw the line with fear – I can easily call it respect (or honor) – but as for dread – well – if someone wants to see God working that way – they will suffer I assure you.
I started my faith walk in fear and I saw what happened to me – I became superstitious. I developed religious things/ideas to make sure God ‘would like me’. I prayed over my food always, I made sure to say ‘in Jesus’ name’ after everything, attended church as often as I could (250+ times in one year), read the bible every morning, gave a tithe (even when I was poor), and stayed away from people I thought were ‘evil’. I did all of that because I was scared of God – not because I loved Him – but because I was shown to fear Him. I remember how it was to fear Him – like actual dread – it made me borderline crazy.
Now I go by life’s experiences and scripture when dealing with God – and rightfully so – scripture should line up with reality if it is ‘true’. When I had that experience of God’s love – it freed me from that religious crap I did before. But it was then I knew not to fear God – because He is kind/compassionate.
It would be like fearing someone who loves you – who does that? I don’t fear my wife – I honor and respect her – but fear is the last thing I think about when it comes to a deep all encompassing love. But out of love springs forth my definition of fear – which for me comes down to respect/honor – which lines up with the idea of ‘worship’ also.
I am open on the idea – but this will take time and more study – since I do know where you are coming from on this – there is something healthy about fear (but maybe that fear has to derive it’s meaning from love?).
October 30, 2007 at 12:49 am
Jason, you are right to feel that there is something wrong when the fear of God is used as a tool to keep people in line or to get them to be involved in service or in donating money. There were prophets in the OT that warned of the wrath of God, but it was most always to a group or a nation of people, and always after much patience was shown by God. When the prophet was to address someone individually, like Pharoah, God gave Him a way to prove that the message came directly from God. However, even in the OT, the main message was always one of love.
And while I do believe that good parenting will usually require some correction, there is something very wrong when anger and punishment becomes the norm rather than the exception. As a father I had to check that my actions lined up with the definition of love;
1 Cor 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
As God is patient with us so must we be patient with our children. But when you have told you child ten times not to run out on the road and they continue to do it, a swift swat on the bum might be in their best interest. I tell you, it was a hard thing for me to discipline my girls, and from your story I think when you get to that stage of life it will likely be very hard for you too. But sometimes a few tears (for both parent and child) are worth it to get the message across.